Spanish grammar
Impersonal haber stays singular: había, hubo, habrá
Keep "there is / there are" (haber) in the singular in every tense.
From the scene Habían muchos clientes (There were lots of customers)
In short
Haber meaning 'there is / are' stays singular in every tense, even before plurals: había muchos clientes, hubo dos, habrá arepas.
Your turn
Which one goes with there were two (not "hubieron")?
Options: había muchos clientes · habrá arepas · hubo dos
Show answer
there were two (not "hubieron") → hubo dos
How it works
When haber means "there is / there are", it has no subject.
Your turn
Pick the word that fits the line.
Da igual. Hay una, hay cien. Había una, (blank) cien.
Options: había · habían · hubieron
Show answer
Da igual. Hay una, hay cien. Había una, había cien.
It doesn't matter. There's one, there are a hundred. There was one, there were a hundred.
Good to know
The noun after it is its object, so the verb stays singular in every tense, even with a plural noun: había muchos clientes, hubo dos, habrá arepas.
Your turn
Pick the word that fits the line.
¿Ni café? Entonces escribe: "Mañana no (blank) clientes."
Options: habrán · hubieran · habrá
Show answer
¿Ni café? Entonces escribe: "Mañana no habrá clientes."
Not even coffee? Then write: "Tomorrow there will be no customers."
Good to know
Plural habían or hubieron with a noun is common in speech in Latin America and parts of Spain, but it is not standard.
Good to know
As a helper verb, habían is fine: habían llegado.
there were lots (not "habían") había muchos clientes
Nuria
Y en muchos sitios de España. Pero por escrito: había muchos clientes.
And in lots of places in Spain. But in writing: there were lots of customers.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Y en muchos sitios de España. Pero por escrito: (blank).
Options: hubo dos · habrá arepas · había muchos clientes
Show answer
Nuria
Y en muchos sitios de España. Pero por escrito: había muchos clientes.
And in lots of places in Spain. But in writing: there were lots of customers.
there were two (not "hubieron") hubo dos
Nuria
Hubo dos. Ha habido tres esta semana.
There were two. There have been three this week.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank). Ha habido tres esta semana.
Options: Habrá arepas · Hubo dos · Había muchos clientes
Show answer
Nuria
Hubo dos. Ha habido tres esta semana.
There were two. There have been three this week.
there will be (not "habrán") habrá arepas
there have been ha habido tres
Nuria
Hubo dos. Ha habido tres esta semana.
There were two. There have been three this week.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Hubo dos. (blank) esta semana.
Options: Habrá arepas · Ha habido tres · Había muchos clientes
Show answer
Nuria
Hubo dos. Ha habido tres esta semana.
There were two. There have been three this week.
there won't be no va a haber café
Practise it in the story
Meet this rule inside a short animated scene. Answer as it plays, then say the lines yourself.
Practise free in the appSee all forms
| there were lots (not "habían") | había muchos clientes |
|---|---|
| there were two (not "hubieron") | hubo dos |
| there will be (not "habrán") | habrá arepas |
| there have been | ha habido tres |
| there won't be | no va a haber café |
More lines from the story
- NuriaDa igual. Hay una, hay cien. Había una, había cien.It doesn't matter. There's one, there are a hundred. There was one, there were a hundred.
- Nuria¿Ni café? Entonces escribe: "Mañana no habrá clientes."Not even coffee? Then write: "Tomorrow there will be no customers."
- TomásEn México todos decimos "habían muchos clientes".In Mexico we all say "there were lots of customers".
- Tomás¿Y lo de ayer? Hubo... hubo un problema con la cafetera.And what about yesterday? There was... there was a problem with the coffee machine.